The Evolution of Modern Yoga
$46.80
- Hardcover
312 pages
- Release Date
13 October 2026
Summary
How much has yoga changed over the past 2,000 years? Daniel Simpson provides an engaging and authoritative overview of shifts in priorities that shaped new techniques, making yoga more appealing to contemporary practitioners.
Before the modern era, most yogis were men who renounced worldly life. Non-seated postures—first mentioned in texts about a thousand years ago—served as warm-ups for subtler techniques, and the ultimate goal was to sit like a stone. The average modern yoga class,…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9798887621715 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Daniel Simpson, The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies |
| Publisher: | Insight Editions |
| Imprint: | Mandala Publishing Group |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 312 |
| Release Date: | 13 October 2026 |
| Weight: | 507g |
| Dimensions: | 152mm x 229mm |
| Series: | The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Mandala Publishing Series |
Critics Review
“An accessible and comprehensive study by one of the brightest voices in yoga scholarship today. There is no other book on the topic of modern yoga that presents the subject with such mastery, clarity, and care for the reader’s experience.” – Mark Singleton, Author of Yoga Body and Co-Author of Roots of Yoga
The traditional yogic texts of India portray social engagement and the body – with its endless cravings – as obstacles, whereas yoga in our present day is generally understood as the performance of postures that promise physical fitness and mental calmness, but not much more … Author, scholar, practitioner, Daniel Simpson invites us on an exciting detective quest and journey back in time to explore the nature and causes of this shift. – Sharon Gannon, Author, and Founder of The Jivamukti Yoga Method
The Evolution of Modern Yoga offers a sensible and intellectually entertaining overview of the roots and evolution of modern yoga, analyses some of its most important characteristics, and is written in a clear and lucid language. – Knut A. Jacobsen, Professor in the Study of Religions, University of Bergen, and Editor-in-Chief of Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism
A fantastic, well researched, and much needed contribution to the yoga community, answering the central question “How did we get here?!” It is supported throughout by meticulous scholarly research, fun facts, and penetrating insights. – Ray Raghunath Cappo, Author of From Punk to Monk, and Host of the Wisdom of the Sages podcast
Daniel Simpson
Daniel Simpson teaches courses on yoga history and philosophy at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. He is a graduate of Cambridge University, and earned an M.A. in yoga studies from SOAS (University of London), where he has also taught. In a previous career, he was a foreign correspondent, working for Reuters and The New York Times. Daniel is also the author of The Truth of Yoga (North Point Press, 2021) and host of the Ancient Futures podcast.
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